Spiral meat slicers are known to generally include a reciprocating knife structure and apparatus for mounting the meat, for rotating the meat, for tensioning the knife blade against the meat, and for moving the knife structure upwardly so as to longitudinally traverse the rotating meat.
Chesley, U.S. Pat. No. 3,153,436, discloses a slicer for boned (i.e., bone-in) or boneless meat products having a reciprocating knife blade which is pivotably mounted on an indexable carriage for engagement with the rotating meat so as to produce a spiral cut therein. Meat rotation, knife blade oscillation, and knife blade indexing are accomplished using a variety of shafts, gears, etc. coupled to a single motor. An upper axial adjustable support and a lower rotatably driven support are provided to hold the meat. The upper axial adjustable support includes a rotatable prong structure provided on the lower end of a rod. This structure holds the upper end of the meat for indirect or passive rotation (i.e., the upper support rotates in response to the rotatively driven meat positioned on the rotatively driven lower support). The lower rotatably driven support includes a power driven shaft equipped with a disc having an upwardly projecting center portion and three upwardly projecting circumferentially spaced prongs or tines. The power driven shaft is linked to the single motor by a transmission assembly. When it is desired to slice a boneless meat product, the upper axially adjustable support is outfitted with an accessory spit structure having a telescoping rod and a disc equipped with openings to receive the prongs of the upper support structure. In operation, the telescoping rod of the accessory spit structure is inserted into the boneless meat product so that it longitudinally traverses the boneless meat product, and thereby provides an axis of rotation, and more importantly a structural support running throughout its length to make spiral slicing possible. The spitted and fully supported meat is then mounted on the slicer for spiral slicing as described in the case of a bone-in product.
As noted in Ditty, U.S. Pat. No. 4,386,560, the Chesley apparatus and method have a number of disadvantages. Various parts, particularly the structures associated with the knife holder, oscillator, and carriage are subject to rapid wear due to excessive vibration of the reciprocating knife structure. Furthermore, a variety of adjustment problems have been found to exist in connection with operating and maintaining such spiral slicers, problems which result in a non-uniform, mis-cut product.
Ditty generally addresses issues of durability, serviceability and the variety of adjustment problems associated with meat rotation, knife oscillation, and blade indexing. For instance, in contradistinction to Chesley, Ditty provides an improved reciprocating knife structure which includes, among other things, a dedicated electric motor for oscillating the cutting blade thereof. Meat rotation and blade indexing are achieved using a separate electric motor for driving individual (i.e., dedicated) transmissions for the aforementioned separate functions. Ditty, as Chesley, mounts a cut of meat for spiral slicing between an upper axially adjustable pronged support and a lower rotatively driven pronged support. Both Ditty and Chesley require a meat product having a natural bone or a bone substitute (i.e., Chesley's accessory skewer) to provide an axis, and more importantly to support the meat during slicing so as to thereby repeatedly produce consistent spiral cuts of uniform thickness in a boned or boneless meat product.
Logan Jr., U.S. Pat. No. Re. 35,374, has particularly addressed the shortcomings of a particular style of spiral meat slicing apparatus, namely those having hydraulic vertical drive cylinders, and has emphasized the importance of consistency in vertical positioning in spiral meat slicing operations (i.e., has identified as being problematic the interrelatedness or interdependency of vertical indexing, meat rotation and knife oscillation). In furtherance of these objectives, Logan Jr. provides separate motors for: driving a lower rotatively driven meat support; powering the rotating cutting blade of the slicer assembly; and, powering the linear indexing assembly used to move the slicer blade. When it is desired to slice a boneless meat product, a meat spit is inserted throughout the length of a boneless cut of meat. The opposing ends of the deployed meat spit which extend beyond the longitudinal ends of the meat are received and held by the upper and lower supports, with the boneless meat product being thereby completely supported throughout its length to make spiral slicing possible.
Although the foregoing patents have to some extent addressed consistency of cut and mis-cut product issues, these issues nonetheless remain and are of a greater concern to producers of spirally sliced meat products, particularly as the demand for spirally sliced boneless meat cuts, such as ham and turkey, has risen with increased popularity. Increasing the production of spirally sliced meat while maintaining a consistent cut thickness is most desirable, with producers evermore challenged to reduce the unit cost of spirally sliced meat products produced so as to increase, or at a minimum maintain market share. Minimization of mis-cuts and maximization of throughput is most desirable.
Heretofore, rotation of meat products for spiral slicing occurs from the direct rotation of a lower meat support or turntable. As the upper meat support is responsively driven by the rotating meat (i.e., indirectly when compared to the lower support), there is a tendency to cause twisting of the spiral slices within the meat itself, thus leading to mis-cut (i.e., wasted) product. There thus exists a need to eliminate the axial twisting of the meat product during spiral slicing, especially when slicing boneless meat products.
Furthermore, the foregoing apparatus and methods require a great deal of operator attention and manipulation to insure a minimal amount of mis-cut product, particularly when slicing a boneless product. For instance, operator loading and unloading times associated with boneless meat products typically exceed those of bone-in meat products as a skewer (i.e., a central bone substitute) is typically inserted in one end of and through the boneless meat product prior to mounting the meat for slicing. Depending upon the quality (i.e., thickness) and quantity (i.e., start and end point) of the cut, skewer removal can be especially time consuming, as operator care and attention is necessary so as to maintain the overall physical integrity of the spirally sliced product. Additionally, skewers can only be centered on one end of a meat product slated for spiral slicing, thus leading to a skewed axis of rotation for the meat product which often contributes to mis-cuts.
Lastly, apparatus heretofore known leave a not insignificant quantity of boneless meat product uncut, particularly about the base or bottom portion of the meat.